


Hufflefluff

by NextGenerationFanatic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6456547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextGenerationFanatic/pseuds/NextGenerationFanatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin, overwhelmed by his newfound romantic feelings for his best friend Ernie, thinks back over the time they've known each other, and wonders what to do about his new emotions...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Contemplation

Justin Finch-Fletchley lay in his four-poster, hands behind his head, thinking. Everyone else in the fourth-year Hufflepuff boys' dormitory was asleep; he could hear Ernie in the next bed, making the customary snuffling noises that were present whenever he slept. Zacharias, in the next bed along, was snoring lightly. Joseph and Daniel, the other two, were making no noise, but Justin could see Joseph rolling around, as was his way, and Daniel, by contrast, was totally still. Justin shuffled slightly to make himself more comfortable, and sighed. The truth was he had a secret, which he had only just discovered himself, and this was what was keeping him awake.

In the last few days, he had realised that he had a massive crush on Ernie Macmillan. Of course, he kept thinking to himself, this was mental. Ernie was his best friend, and was therefore out of bounds. One part of his mind was convinced that Ernie was actually straight, the other was less sure. The thing was, Justin couldn't even explain to himself what had brought this on, nor could he pinpoint exactly when it had started.

He thought back to when he had met Ernie three years previously, almost to the day. They had first met on the Hogwarts Express, where Justin, a Muggle-born eleven-year-old with upper-class family and, until a couple of months before, no idea that magic even existed, had had to share a compartment with him. He'd had suspicions that magic existed, of course, as his teachers had often sent reports of strange things happening which Justin could not explain in any other way, but he had no idea that wizards were real until a tiny man in bizarre clothing and with a beard that almost reached his feet appeared at the front door of their country home telling him he was one.

Anyhow, the Hogwarts Express had been Justin's first contact with wizards of his own age. His first, glancing impression of Ernie was that he was a cheerful, easygoing boy, who unlike most wizards Justin had met so far, was rather chubby. They had talked for most of the journey, Ernie telling Justin everything he knew about Hogwarts and the magical world, and Justin telling Ernie about things that Muggles used that Ernie had never heard of. Then they told each other about themselves, and by the time they reached the school, they had clicked. They were delighted when they were both sorted into Hufflepuff, and after that they were practically inseparable, and despite absorbing a few other first years into their friendship group (namely Susan Bones, Zacharias Smith and Hannah Abbott), it was always Justin and Ernie that were constant. Having led a previously sheltered, aristocratic life, Justin had never had a friendship like it, and he revelled in it.

Their second year was rather less idyllic than their first: Justin spent four months of the academic year Petrified after being attacked by a Basilisk, which was later killed by Harry Potter, a legendary Gryffindor in their year. Justin later found out that Ernie had come to see him almost every day during this time, and was present when he was cured. Justin had been touched by this gesture of good will, and more so when Ernie helped him catch up on the lessons he'd missed.

During their third year, it was Justin's turn to be the pillar of support. Ernie had a difficult year: the Dementors stationed at the school's entrances were closest to the Hufflepuff dormitories, and Ernie often woke up in sweats as a result of nightmares. In these situations, Justin would sneak to the nearby kitchens, get him some hot chocolate and sit with him and stroke his hair, which he had learned would calm him down almost instantly. However, Justin caught him sneaking sweets in a History of Magic lesson and discovered he'd been comfort eating, particularly in Muggle Studies, which was the only lesson where he wasn't with Justin. Ernie confessed that this was a defence mechanism he'd always had, and that this was why he was fatter than most wizards. Justin told him in no uncertain terms that this was not the way to manage stress, and encouraged Ernie to talk to him or one of the others if he needed to. Also, shortly after Christmas, Ernie found that his voice was breaking, something which alarmed him, as he had no elder siblings, so had no idea what was happening to him. Justin helped him through this, explaining that this was perfectly normal, that the awkwardness would pass and his voice would settle at a lower tone. Ernie relaxed, and Justin was proved right.

During the summer, Ernie's family went away to America for most of the holidays, so they saw little of each other. When they saw each other again at platform 9 3/4, they embraced each other and their other friends, and Justin thought that something looked and felt different, but couldn't place what it was. They caught up all their news on the train, then discussed the upcoming year and their subjects. Still something felt odd to Justin, and this had plagued him for the whole day. Had Ernie changed? Not much to look at, it seemed: he had grown a couple of inches over the summer, but so had Justin so this seemed normal. It occurred to Justin that his face seemed a little more round than it had been but this could not be it. Then, after the feast, as Dumbledore was explaining the Triwizard Tournament, it hit him as he was staring unconsciously at the back of Ernie's head. He felt differently towards him. Not only did he now like him as his friend, he liked him in another way. This did not fundamentally surprise him, he had known for a while that he was wired differently from most people, but the fact that he had a crush on Ernie, of all people, was what shocked him.

Now, though, he was unsure how to proceed. He had found himself looking sideways at Ernie as he got into his pyjamas (they often changed in the same room as they were both that comfortable with each other) but it felt bad, it felt wrong. Ernie's weight, or his occasionally pompous manner, or his perfectionism didn't even bother Justin, it was just part of him. All these thoughts were rolling round in his head that night, and he gave a small groan and rolled onto his side. He glanced towards the crack in the curtains and saw the first glimmer of the dawn peeking through. Justin sat up and punched his pillow in frustration. He'd been awake all night. Fortunately, it was a Saturday, so they had no lessons, but still. He knew he could get frightfully cranky when he was tired, and didn't want to end up taking out his bad mood on his friends, most of whom he hadn't seen for ten weeks.  
"Psst," came a voice from nearby. Justin snapped his head round, to see Ernie propped up on one elbow, rubbing his eyes. "Are you okay? I heard you moaning."  
"I'm sorry I woke you," Justin whispered back. "I just haven't slept a wink." Ernie pushed back his quilt, got up and climbed onto the bed next to Justin.  
"What's bothering you?" he asked, crossing his legs and facing him. Justin shifted uncomfortably.  
"Nothing," he said casually. "I just couldn't drop off." Ernie raised a disbelieving eyebrow then pulled him off the bed and led him down to the common room. They sat down in one of the huge armchairs by the newly-lit fire, Ernie sitting on one of the arms and Justin perched on the other.  
"Tell me," said Ernie quietly. "No one's around to hear, I'm not going to laugh or judge you, I just want to help. So please tell me what's troubling you." Justin's thoughts were running at a mile a minute. He couldn't tell him! What if it ruined their friendship for good? Justin didn't want to do anything that would ever do that.  
"I... I can't," Justin sighed. Ernie said nothing, just looked at him in the eyes. "Please don't make me."  
"I won't," shrugged Ernie, "but you said yourself last year that if I had a problem I could tell you. I'd like to think I could say the same."  
"Oh, all right," said Justin, giving up and throwing caution to the wind. "I... I've developed feelings for someone."  
"Is that it? Who?"  
"Who do you think?" said Justin, irritated that Ernie wasn't getting it. "Sorry. The thing is... it's you." He took a deep breath and held it, dreading what Ernie would say.  
"Really?" said Ernie in amazement.  
"No, I made it up," said Justin grumpily, before checking himself. "Of course 'really'." There was silence for more than a minute. "Please say something," urged Justin.  
"Well... the thing is, I've been hoping you'd say that for about six months," said Ernie quietly.  
"Really?" said Justin this time.  
"Of course 'really', you dork," chuckled Ernie affectionately. He leaned in, and Justin did too, and their lips met for the first time.


	2. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had enough of writing smut because of an imagination deficiency. Have something soft instead :)

They pulled apart after what seemed like hours. It probably hadn't been the best kiss ever, Justin considered, but he'd enjoyed it, and for a first time, it wasn't awful.  
"So... what now?" Ernie said tentatively.  
"Do you want to tell people?" Justin asked. Ernie shifted uncomfortably.  
"Not really. Not because I'm embarrassed by you," he added hastily, "but just because... well, no one even knows I'm attracted to guys yet."  
"No one?"  
"No, why?"  
"Me neither. It's a relief in a way to know that you're secret too, no one'll suspect anything."  
"I don't know about that," said Ernie with a wry smile. "I think Hannah may have guessed."  
"Guessed what?" said a voice. Ernie and Justin jumped. At the door was a sleepy-looking Zacharias.  
"Bloody hell," muttered Ernie. "You frightened the life out of me."  
"Sorry, I'm sure," said Zacharias. "Guessed what?"  
"The thing that Dumbledore's got planned for this year that no one seems to know about apart from Malfoy," said Justin without missing a beat. Ernie looked impressed.  
"Oh, that," said Zacharias carelessly. "It'll just be a new duelling club or something, it's bound to be nothing interesting."  
"I suppose," said Justin. "Come on, let's get ready for breakfast, I'm starving."

****

"So," said Hannah that lunchtime as she sat across the table from Ernie. "Found a girlfriend over the summer, since you've not been writing to me at all?" A frosty look crossed her face, and Ernie looked taken aback.  
"I was in France all summer, and Mum thought it cost money to send owls overseas."  
"So have you?"  
"No, as it happens." Hannah looked disappointed.  
"How am I supposed to make an identity as your gal pal if you don't get a girlfriend? People'll talk!"  
"They haven't for three years," Ernie argued. "I thought you fancied Longbottom? Go and ask him out, that'll quell the non-existent rumours." Hannah flushed.  
"I do not! I just said he looked adorable when he got all happy when he found out he passed his practical Defence last year."  
"Sure, tell that to the Gryffindors. They've been teasing him something rotten," Ernie remarked, taking a piece of ham from a plate between them.  
"You shouldn't eat so much meat, it's not good for you," Hannah said disapprovingly. Ernie looked her straight in the eye and put it into his mouth whole, daring her to comment. She didn't, she merely frowned.  
"Anyway," she said with heavy emphasis.  
"Yes?" replied Ernie indistinctly.  
"What about Justin?"  
"What about him?" Ernie answered, slightly too quickly, he immediately thought.  
"Has he got anyone?"  
"Um... well... not that I know of... Why?" Ernie stammered, desperately trying to work out how Justin had so easily lied through his teeth. Hannah seemed not to notice, though, and lowered her voice, keen to share gossip.  
"Susan and I think he might bat from the pavilion end," she whispered. Ernie frowned. She was half-blood, and he disliked when she reference Muggle culture, because it went straight over his head.  
"What?"  
"You know? Drives on the other side of the road, on the other bus, takes his coffee with cream instead of milk?"  
"Hannah, you're making my head spin."  
"Oh, for Merlin's sake," she said, exasperated. "Susan and I think he's gay."  
"What on earth makes you think that?"  
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed," she exclaimed. "He adored Professor Lockhart, and he practically pines after Goldstein."  
"He does..?" Ernie said, bewildered.  
"He was gazing at him in Potions almost constantly for two hours this morning!" Ernie realised with some alarm that he himself sat directly adjacent to Anthony Goldstein in Potions, in Justin's field of view. "I mean," Hannah continued, "I don't blame him, I'd have him myself, but come on, you must have clocked something!"  
"N-not particularly," said Ernie, making an effort to shrug it off. Suddenly Hannah looked suspicious.   
"Is there something you're not telling me?" This time the lie was much easier.  
"Why would there be?" he said innocently.

Meanwhile, Susan and Justin were having a conversation that was not wholly dissimilar.  
"Jus," she said, glancing up from her book.  
"Hm?" he replied, not looking up from his.  
"Are you gay?" Suddenly he was listening.  
"What?"  
"Are you gay?"  
"I heard you the first time, but what?" Susan shrugged.  
"I was only asking."  
"That's quite a personal question," he pointed out, mildly peeved.  
"You're certainly taking it personally," she replied, going back to her book. Justin stared at her, mildly speechless.

That evening, Ernie and Justin exchanged their concerns.  
"I don't think they know yet," said Ernie confidently. "But if they discuss what we each said, by the sound of things we're in trouble."

"He got very defensive," said Susan thoughtfully.  
"And Ernie got very panicked," added Hannah.  
"You don't think..?"  
"It's possible."  
"But what about what you said about Goldstein?"  
"I thought about that. But who sits next to him."  
"Boot?"  
"Ernie, you twit."  
"Oh..!"  
"Keep an eye on them," said Hannah. "If we're right, I don't want to put them or anything - but it'd be good to know about all the same."


End file.
